This disclosure relates to polycarbonates, and in particular to silylated polycarbonates, methods of manufacture, and uses thereof.
Polycarbonates are useful in the manufacture of articles and components for a wide range of applications, from automotive parts to medical devices, because of their inherent properties of transparency, gloss, and impact strength. Polycarbonates can also be made to have improved resistance to photoyellowing. The combination of these properties make polycarbonates useful for exterior applications that require high resistance to environmental stresses such as impact, staining, resistance to scratching, such as for example automotive applications including door panels, bumpers, trim, or other such applications. However, polycarbonates generally present a more hydrophilic surface than other thermoplastics such as for example polyolefins, which can lead to more facile wetting of the surface of the polycarbonate and consequently a greater tendency to stain or to be affected by moisture-borne contaminants. In addition, polycarbonates generally do not have a high scratch resistance, and can therefore lose gloss and luster when subject to abrasive conditions.
There accordingly remains a need in the art for polycarbonates that have improved resistance to wetting. It would further be desirable for the polycarbonates to retain other advantageous properties, such as surface finish and impact strength, and/or transparency, while maintaining or improving abrasion resistance.